UAE Business: Bridging gender gap to ‘add $2.7trn to the regional economy’ – Gulf Digital News

UAE Business: Bridging gender gap to ‘add $2.7trn to the regional economy’ – Gulf Digital News

With more women setting up SMEs and the gender gap bridging, the Mena region could add $2.7 trillion to the economy by 2025, several studies have pointed out. 

 

However, the business landscape across the world continues to be dominated by men, despite the well-known benefits of gender parity. 

 

A recent report by the World Economic Forum states that at the current pace it will take another 257 years to bridge the gender gap in terms of economic participation. 

 

However, some countries in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, are now making concerted efforts to ensure gender parity by providing women with more financing options, business training, mentoring, and networking opportunities for entrepreneurship.

 

In the Middle East, 7.6% of women are early-stage entrepreneurs compared with 11.8% of men. 

 

According to the UAE’s Department of Economic Development, 48% of SMEs are headed by women in the country. The UAE has not only pledged $50 million to the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative Fund but also gender equality as one of its sustainable development goals. Despite this, the recent Campaign Middle East’s Power List did not include one woman. 

 

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